Signal



No. 626,903. Patented lune l3, I899. 6. W. GUMBES, 1B. SIGNAL(Application filed Apr. 15, 1897.)

(No Model.)

FIG

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT EFIcE.

CHARLES V. GUMBES, .IR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 626,908, dated June 13,1899.

Application filed April 15,1897- Serial No. 632,254. \No model.)

1'0 all, whom 211; may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. GUMBES, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway-signals; and the object in view is toprovide a simple and effective audible signal adapted to be usedadjacent to tunnels and bridges over the road-bed for the purpose ofwarning the brakemen and others upon the tops of cars of the nearapproach of the train to said tunnel or bridge, thus avoiding seriousaccident, which might otherwise result. The improved safety device isintended to be used either in connection with the ordinary pending ropesor wires in common use or independently thereof, as may be desired.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel features and detailsof construction and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claimshereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of asection of the railway, showing the improved signal and the operatingmechanism therefor located adjacent to a bridge. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail view showing the trip for sounding the signal and the means forretracting said trip. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the audible signal.Fig. 4 is a similar View of the signal, showing modified means foractuating the hammer or clapper. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation ofthe shaft and trip-arm and spring. Fig. 6 is a detail cross-sectionthrough the same.

Similar numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a section of the railway, and 2a bridge constructed thereover. For the purpose of carrying out thepresent invention a post or standard 3 is erected at one side of theroadbed and preferably of a height sufficient to brin an audible alarmin the sha e of a "on D O b 4 upon the approximately horizontal plane ofthe tops of the cars, thus enabling said gong to be readily heard bypersons thereon. This gong is shown to consist of a bell 5, secured upona post 6, projecting laterally from the main post or standard 3.

7 designates the clapper or hammer, which is mounted on the free end ofa spring or resilient arm 8, which is attached at its opposite end tothe post or standard 3. Connected to the hammer '7 or arm 8 is a cord,wire, or other flexible connection 9, which runs around a pulley 10 onthe standard 3, thence downward in parallel relation to said standard,and upon reaching the ground passes around another pulley 11, whencesaid connection extends transversely of the road-bed and beneath one ofthe rails. At a suitable point between the rails is arranged a thirdpulley 12, beneath which the connection 9 runs. The connection 9 thenextends upward and is attached fixedly at the point 13 to a triparm leton a shaft 15.

The shaft 15 is located between the rails of the track and is mounted insuitable bearings 16 at its ends, the trip-arm 14 being locatedintermediate the ends of the rock-shaft. Surrounding the shaft is acoiled spring 17, which is so arranged as to exert its tension ortorsional action upon the trip-arm 14 for restoring said arm to asubstantially vertical position, such being the normal position of saidarm. The arm 14:, which is a continuation or extension of the spring,extends upward-sufficiently to contact with and be thrown downwardly bythe various axles of the train passing thereover, so that said trip-armwill be thrown downward and the gong will be sounded at least twice forevery car that passes over the trip mechanism, thus warning persons onthe top of each car of approaching danger. The heel end 18 of the springis bent at an angle and extended through a transversely-flared mortise19 in the shaft 15, so that as the train backs away from a tunnel orbridge the arm 14 may not only spring or yield backward, but the spring17 itself may turn backward around the shaft 15, thus allowing the axlesto pass over the arm without sounding the alarm.

Instead of mounting the hammer 7 on a resilient arm or spring 8 saidhammer may be arranged on one end of aplunger 18, mounted to slide insuitable bearings 20 on the standard 3, the said plunger being actuatedby means of a spring 21, coiled around the same. In this constructionthe connection?) may be attached to the heel end of the plunger and theplunger will be drawn backward against the tension of the spring whenthe trip-arm 14 is thrown downward. Under either construction as theaxle passes ofi the trip-arm 14 the spring 17 by its torsional actionwill quickly restore said arm to its normal position, thus allowing thespring 8 or 21, as the case may be, to throw the bell-hammer forciblyand quickly against the hell 5.

Having thus described the invention,-What is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A railway-signal comprising an audible alarm mounted on a supportnear the roadbed, a shaft mounted in bearings between the rails, aspring surrounding and movable bodily on said shaft, a trip-arm on saidspring extending up within the path of the car-axles and afiexibleconnection between said arm and the alarm, substantially asdescribed.

2. A railway-signal comprising a gong, a hammer, a shaft mounted inbearings between the rails, a spring surrounding and bodily movable onsaid shaft, a trip-arm forming an integral extension of said spring andextending up within the path of the car-axles,

and afiexible connection between the arm and the hammer, substantiallyas described. 3. A railway-signal comprising a gong, a

hammer, a shaft mounted between the rails Witnesses:

F. M. GUMBEs, ELEANOR R. NORTON.

